Political correctness revisited

I know I’ve done a topic about political correctness before, but it’s an issue that bothers me like nothing else. If you haven’t guessed that I’m a hardcore liberal, then allow me to clear the air. I am probably one of the most liberal people on campus.

Why is that relevant? It matters because this is one of the few topics in which I deviate from partisan lines. The political correctness movement needs to take a few steps back, and fast.

Now I hate to toot my own horn, but as the RU Memes admin, I’d like to consider myself a comedian among the Radford community. I make jokes, sometimes mean and often at the expense of other people. I’m never malicious and I never go out of my way to hurt someone’s feelings; it’s just my sense of humor. I take serious issue when people try to censor my choice of words for me because they find me too offensive.

Larry the Cable Guy reading a book of politically correct fairy tales. Image from Youtube.

A few months ago, I posted a new profile picture for RU Memes with a black ribbon in support of Virginia Tech on the anniversary of the mass shootings. I wrote a message to our Virginia Tech fan base telling them that they were not the enemy, “psychopaths who kill people are.” Shortly after, one of my admins sent me a message saying that my use of the word “psychopath” to describe the shooter was offensive to people with mental disabilities who are prone to violence.

I was beside myself with anger. Out of my extensive message of support and unity, someone was able to find the one “offensive” word in the message. Needless to say, it sparked an argument that resulted in a week-long suspension of the page.

The issue of political correctness has begun to blur the lines between genuine concern for the feelings of others and a method of policing each other for a momentary sense of morality. You would never see me throw around racial or homophobic slurs in an effort to ridicule someone for being born a certain way. I would like to believe that a good majority of people are the same way. So why do so many people go out of their way to find things that are offensive, when they know for a fact that there was no harm intended?

Perish the day that I find myself sympathetic to a conservative cause, but this video is a funny spin on what classic fairy tales would be like if the political correctness movement keeps going this way. I don’t want to live in a society where everyone is so sensitive about each other’s feelings that we can never make a jab at someone else’s expense. I don’t support a return of racism or a continuation of homophobia. I do support a nation that can take a joke, shrug it off, and move on with life.